seedlings!

The short people of the household and I planted some seeds ten days ago, and they're up and well on the way already! Between them and the very happy silverbeet, I'm feeling quite chuffed about my worm wicking beds.

Name that seedling!

A few weeks back I scattered some out-of-date seeds in the garden beds, to see if any of them would germinate. And some of them have! I have no idea what some of the are, and some I can guess at, but I like the element of surprise!

Germination test

I came across a way to test whether seed is still viable. Dampen some paper towel, and sprinkle a few seeds from the out-of-date packet across it. Roll it up, put it in a plastic bag and keep it somewhere warm (like on the top of the fridge or some electronic equipment that stays on). Check after two days, then at least once a day after that, making sure the paper doesn't completely dry out.

If half of the seed germinates, plant more closely than usual for the same yield.

I guess you could also plant the germinated seeds (still on the paper towel). Even if nothing germinated, I'd probably throw it all in the garden anyway, just in case!